Today Riders Alliance and Regional Plan Association released a comprehensive plan for managing the L train shutdown and improving transportation along the L train corridor over the long term. The report, “Fixing the L Train and Managing the Shutdown: A Community Consensus Proposal,” is being presented Tuesday at a press conference with elected officials and representatives from community groups along the L train line. A public session will follow tonight at 6:30 at the Automotive High School in Brooklyn.
The shutdown, scheduled to begin in 2019, will close L train stations between Bedford Avenue and 8th Avenue. Advocacy groups contend that the shutdown provides the MTA and DOT with a unique opportunity to develop ambitious public transit alternatives for riders.
Through 2,000 rider surveys, research and dozens of meetings with elected officials and community representatives, the groups created the proposal and detailed it with maps and images in the report. The plan includes designated bus lanes over the Williamsburg Bridge and new bus routes in Manhattan, new HOV restrictions on other East River crossings, new transit, bike and pedestrian streets along 14th Street and Grand Avenue in Brooklyn, reduced commuter rail fares and a new network of bike lanes in Bushwick, among a variety of other proposals.
Read the full plan: Fixing the L Train and Managing the Shutdown: A Community Consensus Proposal (pdf)